Tyler Seguin hopes to continue to following Steven Stamkos’ path

If there’s anybody a young scorer would want to be compared to this season, it’s Steven Stamkos. The Lightning center already has 21 goals this season and is on pace for 69. It’s remarkable production considering Stamkos is just 20 years of age.

In the case of Tyler Seguin, the comparisons he has received to Stamkos are undoubtedly cases of high praise, but the measurables seem to warrant them.

Both players were both highly coveted right-handed centers in their respective drafts, as Stamkos went first overall in 2008 and Seguin was taken second overall in 2010. They both had dominant OHL careers as well, with Stamkos potting 58 goals in 2007-08 with the Sarnia Sting, and Seguin winning the Red Tilson award for the OHL’s most outstanding player with 48 goals last year for the Plymouth Whalers. They’ve also got similar body types (Seguin is 6-foot-1, 186 pounds while Stamkos is 6-foot-0, 176 pounds). Finally, Stamkos’ hometown of Markham, Ontario is a 45-minute drive from Seguin’s native Brampton.

Stamkos has established himself as one of the league’s most explosive players at a very young age, and Seguin — the same guy who doesn’t like to “over-respect” his opponents before a game — would love if his billing as the next Stamkos proves to be true.

“I try to [play like Stamkos],” Seguin said Thursday. “He’s definitely doing really good right now.”

Seguin has five goals this season through 23 games. He is on pace for 18 goals, which would be less than Stamkos’ 23 as a rookie, but Seguin seems to be right where the Tampa Bay star was two years ago. Through 23 games, Stamkos actually had just three goals on the season. He didn’t really kick things into high gear until February, and he hasn’t stopped scoring since.

“He adapted to the league [and] I think it took him probably half a season in his rookie year,” Seguin said of Stamkos. “I’ll probably be around there hopefully and just keep on going.”

The two players met over the summer at the increasingly legendary Atlantic City Bauer campaign. It was there that Seguin also met and got to knowPhil Kessel.